Crisis communications

Pre-reading tasks

At home watch in the Internet a video about crisis communications http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbC2clUC0ss and answer the following questions (use the vocabulary below):

(to prolong the crisis or end it sooner; rapid dissemination of information; to acknowledge there is a problem; to articulate steps being taken to solve the problem; to focus on the long term interest of stakeholders; to enhance trust and rapport; each contact should be viewed to transmit the message; to break the story; to speculate on the cause of an incident; to discuss liability and responsibility; to make overly optimistic statements regarding remediation).

1. Can communications initiatives save the product in a crisis situation?

2. Is it appropriate to stay silent and wait the crisis out?

3. Why is it important to give accurate and reliable information, be available, cooperative and active when a crisis has hit your company?

4. The power of the mass news media should be recognised, shouldn’t it?

5. Do the media shape and direct public opinion?

6. What are the main steps for the company during the crisis?

7. Do the media deserve proper access to the crisis information? Why?

8. What shouldn‘t you do during the crisis?

9. How can a site of emergency help in the crisis situation?

After-reading tasks:

Read the text about crisis communications and decide if these statements are true or false?

1. Bad things won't happen if you don't think about them.

2. Planning for disasters is usually a thankless task.

3. Responding quickly, fully, and truthfully is the only way you can keep the faith of the publics you serve.

4. Good news always travels faster than bad news.

5. If a spokesperson looks angry, resentful, and evasive in his speech people can understand that because a crisis is a real disaster for a company.

6. You can't anticipate every possible disaster.

7. You are less likely to be misquoted if your speech is brief and to the point.

8. If you walk or gesture quickly, you look assured or truthful.

9. One of the surest and most deserved ways to build credibility and respect is to display grace under pressure.

10. Never praise some specific action of the person who has criticized you.

Crisis Communications

Perhaps bad things won't happen if you don't think about them. Most organizational leaders, like most humans in their personal lives, avoid planning for disasters. Because it's usually a thankless task, we often don't take action until after a crisis has hit us, someone we know, or someone who is like us or in an industry like ours. Yet now more than ever, every organization needs a plan. Responding quickly, fully, and truthfully is the only way you can keep the faith of the publics you serve, inside and outside your organization.

And human nature remains the same in one way: bad news always travels faster than good news. What can you do to protect your or your organization's reputation in the face of a future crisis - inaccurate, incomplete, or biased government or otherwise official or media announcement; or an attack from someone, especially a credible, well-liked, powerful or well-known figure?